Give these Bears numbers a rest

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Here's how much Singletary owns No. 50: In college, I attended a party at the home of one of my brother's friends. In the basement was a framed Bears No. 50 jersey with the name "Nuber" on the back. I threw a fit, exclaiming no true Bears fan would personalize the jersey of a Hall of Famer. Then I learned I was at the home of Dr. Gordon Nuber, the Bears team physician. The team gave him the jersey for his 50th birthday. Damn cool, and a lovely tribute, but ya know what? I still don't like it. Don't mess with Samurai.

When you own a number, you erase the validity of every other player who ever wore the number. That is certainly the case for Brian Urlacher and No. 54. The Bears actually had a steady No. 54 linebacker in the '90s named Ron Cox. Played OK. Google a picture of Ron Cox in his Bears jersey. Looks wrong, doesn't it?

By Jack M Silverstein, for RedEye In April, the Bears assigned new linebacker James Anderson No. 50, aka Mike Singletary's number. A month later, they formally announced that Mike Ditka's No. 89 would be the team's final retired number. This leaves several worthy candidates, including Singletary, without the distinction. RedEye looks at the top five Bears jerseys that should still be retired. Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye Sports' Facebook page.